5 non-QBs the Giants could take with the No. 2 overall pick

5 non-QBs the Giants could take with the No. 2 overall pick

With the news that the New York Giants are zeroing in on Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to be the next head coach of their franchise, one could be quick to surmise they will take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

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It makes a whole lot of sense, especially when you see what Shurmur did with backup quarterback Case Keenum’s career in 2017.

The NFL journeyman had 22 touchdowns to just seven interceptions with 3,547 yards, 67.6 percent completions and a very impressive 98.3 quarterback rating in 15 games played. He led the Vikings to a 13-3 record, the No. 2 seed in the NFC and an appearance in the NFC Championship game this weekend.

However, the Giants still have Eli Manning, and they did take Davis Webb in the third-round of the 2017 NFL Draft, so Shurmur could come in and believe they don’t need to take a quarterback. He and new general manager Dave Gettleman will have their hands full making that decision, but taking a quarterback seems to be a 50-50 proposition at this point.

On the one hand, the Giants very rarely get the opportunity to draft this high, and many believe they should take advantage of it despite maybe having options for the 2018 season. At the same time, they have major deficiencies on the offensive line and there are some players at other positions who many believe are other-world talents.

So what are the Giants’ options if they don’t take one of the top quarterbacks? Let’s have a look.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State

Many believe Barkley is the best player in the 2018 draft class. The Giants have skated by for years without an elite running back, mostly employing the running back by committee approach. They might want to reconsider that with someone who is as can’t-miss as Barkley. He is a lethal weapon no matter where you put him.

The talented back finished with 1,271 rushing yards at 5.9 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns, and added 54 receptions for 632 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver in his final season with the Nittany Lions. He finished his three-year career with 671 carries for 3,843 yards (5.7 ypc, all three 1000+ yard seasons) and 43 touchdowns on the ground, plus 102 catches and 1,195 yards with eight touchdowns in the air.

Those numbers put Barkley’s three-year average at just under 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns from scrimmage per season. Pretty darn good.

There is a good chance the Cleveland Browns go for Barkley at No. 1 overall. They could very well take a quarterback, but they also have the No. 4 overall pick. It’s entirely possible they go best player available at No. 1 and wait to see how the chips fall. They took Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden together in the first round in 2012.

If Barkley is sitting there at No. 2 it will be very tough for Gettleman to pass up, considering he admitted he wants to get back to “big boy football” in 2018.

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